Wash Your Hands Than Use Hand Sanitizers
The magic hand sanitizer doesn’t have to
be the best defense against the prevention of the spread of the novel virus. In fact, The University of Westminster has released a study that claims the best defense
against the infection is the conventional soap and warm water hand wash.
Markets have gone empty and pharmacy shelves
are dry as people stock up hand sanitizers. According to the Data company
Kantar, the sales of hand sanitizers rose 255 percent in one single month. Videos
and information have also been floating on how we can create our own hand
sanitizers at home.
The culprit that carries germs is either
human moisture or the oil in our hands. While human moisture is immediately
released through pores, sneezing, breathing and coughing, frequent use of hands-on foreign surfaces can also transmit the virus easily to self and others.
Therefore washing hands religiously is a better defense against the spread than
using hand sanitizers.
There are two main types of hand sanitizers:
alcohol-based and alcohol-free. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers contain varying
amounts and types of alcohol, often between 60% and 95% and usually isopropyl
alcohol, ethanol (ethyl alcohol) or n-propanol. Alcohol is known to be able
to kill most germs.
Alcohol-free hand sanitizers contain
something called quaternary ammonium compounds instead of alcohol.
These can reduce microbes but are less effective than alcohol. Not only are
alcohol-based hand sanitizers found to be effective at killing many types of bacteria, they
are also effective against many viruses, including the influenza A, Hepatitis A, HIV, and the Middle East
respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV).
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